Town Square

Rural land in northwestern San Ramon will become housing development by 2015

Original post made
on Mar 15, 2012

In accordance with the city's 2030 general plan, San Ramon is moving forward with plans to develop a large patch of rural acreage on the northwest side of town. One of the largest land deals in the East Bay recently, Lafferty Communities bought the 440-acre Faria Preserve for an undisclosed amount.

What do you mean there will no traffic impact?
What kind of double talk is this? Will these "future" residents just fly to their local jobs?

Or will they take the local skate board to work?

This is typical "magic" talk to confuse everyone but the developers who will walk away with a bundle laughing all the way to the bank and Hawaiian Islands.

These units will put immense pressure on local facilities, public services way beyond the current level which is very low since economic cut back and REALITIES have taken over.

Once again its those dumb very short sighted politicians and community "leaders" who seek a name, fame, and another future job, perhaps, while packing, jamming, and killing a fantastic city and area. Ultimately thinking, MORE TAX DOLLARS TO SPEND TO DO JUST FANTASTIC MORE.

Dont they ever think below or beyond their wallet levels?

Eventually putting a excellent school district into desperate economic crisis with tons more kids, more cars in the city roads, more potential for crime since these units are well set back into the hills, more pressure on what little police ability there is due to cut backs.

I totally agree with you, frankly, but isn't it too late to stop the project? They are ready to dig.
Also, look at the crammed new housing development close to the I580, across from the Camp Park Reserve Forces, although that is in Dublin.

Well, most likely this move was done when times were in full cash flow

BUT THAT AINT HERE ANYTIME SOON!!!!

SO WHY put all citizens in further debt so a great vision full of greater debt can continue????

Make any sense?

Those politicians come and go, ALWAYS LEAVING THE LOCAL VOTERS HOLDING AND PAYING FOR THE DEBT THEY CREATE DESPITE WHAT THEY COSMETICALLY CALL IT!!!

SO this plan should be reversed GIVEN THE TIMES ECONOMICALLY.

DO you think that just because some developer is promising something that all that is promised and or hidden from view will be done.

ALL DEVELOPERS BUY AS CHEAPLY AS POSSIBLE AND THEN CRAM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN FOR POCKET MONEY based on the local voters throw under the bus by politician speaking the "truth" but play with words, thoughts, and hide the real basic facts from voters, speaking the "truth".

PROGRESS IS NOT CRAMMING INTO SMALLER PLACES AS MANY PEOPLE AS ONE CAN!!!

PROGRESS IS NOT CONING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE A MILLION OR TWO AT VOTERS EXPENSE!!

PROGRESS is not constantly building putting more pressure on local social services and then return to the tax payers asking for bonds, or improvement bonds.

Our local schools have done fantastically and now with more students, more pressure on schools due to over crowdedness, just how well can school continue, though it is the job of the administrators to speak "happiness, success,and academic achievement?

I would like to know how many school-aged children they are projecting will live in this community. The City and builders completely underestimated those numbers for Dougherty Valley and now the schools are overcrowded with students attending class in portables even though the schools are 5 years old.
Are they adding on to existing schools or building new ones? Shall we expect a parcel tax to pay for it?

If this comes to be, then sewers have to be installed, water mains to those areas, later rather then sooner, ultimately put the cost to improve, maintain, will be forwarded to local homeowners so that developers can make a mammoth profit as whose expenses.

Dont you recall what PG&E didnt do in San Bruno when they installed all their gas lines. Oh yes they promise everything but never delivered and still cant but you, the user to pay for their administrative, field work failures.

More traffic is to be expected. People dont walk, use bicycles, or even use
skate boards. There will be more traffic despite what the local official state.
They make it seem that people must be a bunch of dumb morons who cant think.

More eventual robberies, home break-ins, more need for police which are already spread very thinly.

Water pressures may need help for all homes.

Potential failed electrical lines.

Just more, dont make better.

More built new new anything brings the concealed issues to light many years later at public's expense.

ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE, COUNTY OFFICIALS, LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE BUILT TO CODE, code means little.

A building code is established to national standards and has no direct relationship to local needs.

A building code is there to guide home owners repair, local building inspectors to set value for property bringing increased taxes not for necessarily improved home standards.

National building codes do not address local expectations, needs, or land types.

Do the research and become informed.

Never totally trust what you read or hear, always have to do due diligence as it is said.

Yes you can do the research if you want to protect yourself, family, children.

Have a wonderful St Paddy's Day and not much in the way of drinking for it eventually kills the liver plus many other inner organs if not one's life.

Posted by Jim Gibbon
a resident of another community
on Mar 16, 2012 at 8:53 am

This was fought over and litigated for years to no avail. The city wanted this project to the point of twisting the city's hillside protection ordinances to get it approved. It violates San Ramon hillside ordinances but the old council did not care. Their motto was that they had the five votes to do whatever they wanted.

This one project is the reason why people started organizing to protect and final stop planned rural growth in San Ramon. ' No on Measure W', 'Stop the Norris Canyon OFF Ramps', 'Stop Wal-Mart', 'Save the Mudd's Restaurant Property' and 'San Ramon for Open Government' are examples of organized opposition groups that have been started because of the city's Faria Property approval. Through the social media these groups are organized and are slowly changing the priorities in the city.

Two San Ramon City Council members were replaced because they would not protect the hills around San Ramon. Two more will be replaced if they continue to approve development in the hills. Residents in San Ramon are actively trying to protect the city from its own government.

We may not be able to stop everything that adversely affects San Ramon but this developing coalition are working hard by keeping a close eye on what this city government does and how it will affect the quality of life in San Ramon. If Danville residents want to protect they environment they too will have to watch closely what is being planed by city officials. They can not rely on good will enough more.

Growth will occur somewhere but where and how much can not be left to city government. What happens in our open space affects us all.

Posted by Jim Gibbon
a resident of another community
on Mar 19, 2012 at 10:51 am

In order to protect the project the city extended the approval of this project as below. Can you amagine a extending a two year tentative map for 18 years. The reason is that the project would neither get approved again with the AB32 and SB375 rules in place.

'Faria was approved on December 5, 2006. They have a Development Agreement that became operative at the time of annexation to the City which was March 19, 2009. The agreement has a term of 10 years, with an automatic 5-year extension and one discretionary 5-year extension. Simply put, the project is vested until March 19, 2024.'

Assuming the veracity of this account, hopefully that others in the city will take heed and protest such antics to delude, avoid, and put more cost on to them.

Why sit there hoping for the best? It will not happen!!

Act to protect your home, costs, taxes, schools, social services which will are already on hold due to economic times and will just put each owner into further debt in time hidden behind the social good words.

Citizens just need to get involved and attend the meetings. Unfortunately, 99.99999999% of the citizens and homeowners do not. I am on the board of my HOA. We almost never see any homeowners attending and voicing their opinions on matters that affect them directly. All these matters are sent to homeowners via email and in a newsletter that comes with their HOA billing.

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